Links With The City

On joining the Company members are encouraged to take part in the life of the City of London and indeed have a duty to attend certain meetings and vote in elections. It is also possible to join the City Livery Club and members are welcomed at the Guildhall Library. Periodically it is possible to join in some of the great City occasions such as the United Guilds Service at St Paul’s Cathedral.

On other occasions joint meetings are held with other Companies and of course being a peripatetic Company means that there are many opportunities to dine in other Companies’ Halls.

There are 110 Livery Companies in the City of London. They represent a long tradition of commitment and philanthropy giving more than £67 million each year to charitable causes. (as per Livery Briefing March 2019) Also providing over 75,000 hours of pro-bono charitable support each year.

In 2011 the Mercers’ Company undertook a Livery Profile Survey and produced a summary. It gives membership statistics and an overview of charitable giving and areas in which the Livery Companies are active. It has an introduction from Alderman Michael Bear (Lord Mayor of the City of London 2010-2011) stating how important, but little trumpeted, the Livery companies’ contribution to society is.